Beechcraft 35-A33 N156J

Summary

On 5 April 2010 at about 16:33 local time, a Beechcraft 35-A33 registered N156J, operated by Pittsburgh Institue of Aeronautics, was involved in an accident near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 April 2010 at 16:33

Classification

Accident

Location

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Alleghany County Airport (AGC)

Coordinates

40.3522, -79.9300

Aircraft

Beechcraft 35-A33

Registration

N156J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Pittsburgh Institue of Aeronautics

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pittsburgh → Pittsburgh

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10LA210

Nobody was injured.

A fire of undetermined origin behind the left instrument panel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the takeoff roll, the pilot smelled and saw smoke emanating from the instrument panel. He aborted the takeoff, exited the runway, and shut off the master and alternator switches. The smoke continued to emanate from the instrument panel so the pilot elected to shutdown the engine and both occupants exited the airplane. Paint blistering was observed on the left side of the airplane in the vicinity of the instrument panel. The cabin area and the roof structure were consumed by fire, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot stated that he purchased the airplane approximately six months prior to the accident, but the airplane and engine logbooks were lost prior to the purchase. After the pilot purchased the airplane, it was inspected in accordance with regulations, but no work was performed on the avionics or wiring other than replacing the altitude encoder. Two years prior to the accident, the manufacturer issued a communiqué that required an inspection for wire chaffing after any maintenance work, and during an annual inspection with special emphasis on examining the areas with considerable amount of movement. It further stated that the area between the instrument panel and the firewall not only had the greatest concentration of wiring, but also had moving components that could damage improperly secured wiring in a very short time. A postaccident inspection by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the area of the origin for the fire was the left forward section of the instrument panel, in the vicinity of the communication radios, circuit breakers, and electrical bus bar. The exact source of the fire could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.